Dancing Your Way Through Dussehra

Dussehra, one of the most colourful festival in India, and each part of the country has a unique and magnificent way of celebrating this event. Read on to see what this festival has in store for you...

Some
Quick Facts on Dussehra

Dussehra or
Vijayadashami (as it’s called in certain parts of the country) marks the
celebration of the victory of good over evil. In North India, Dussehra symbolizes
Lord Rama’s defeating the demon king Ravana whereas in the eastern parts of
India, people consider it to be the day when Goddess Durga destroyed the demon
Mahishasura.

In southern and
western India, people believe that the warrior Arjuna, who had hidden his
weapons in the Shami tree, retrieved and worshipped them on this day. Whichever
part of the country that you might be in, you’ll experience a wave of
festivities if you take up a trip to South India during this time.

Northern
Rituals During Dussehra

In Northern India, Ram Lila is the most popular activity one can be a part of. Almost all the parts of the cities organise their own Ram Lila. Nukkad nataks are also pre-dominant during this festival and watching cluster of villages coming together to witness the enactment of various episodes from Ramayana, is truly enriching.

On the tenth day
of Dussehra, they burn larger than life effigies of the demon Ravana, his brother
Kumbhakarna and son Meghanadh. This burning is symbolic of the destruction of
evil and conveys the message that every person needs to destroy evil thoughts
and tendencies within him.

Kullu, a popular city in Himachal is extremely popular for its robust Dussehra celebrations. Ceremonial festivities and grand processions form the core of celebrations here, when the presiding deity, Raghunathji, is brought out for procession and thousands of people throng here to pay homage to the God. Book your Himachal Pradesh tours and enjoy a great Dussehra vacation in Kullu.

Melas, huge Pandals and
road shows are often organised by the locals and you can get a feel of the
local culture especially in the more traditional regions away from major
cities. These melas are are ideal place to meet people as well as enjoy lip smacking dishes. People also go the various Pandals to see and revere the deities.

A Peek
at the Southern Rituals

In the south
Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, people divide the nine days of
Navaratri equally and dedicate them to worshipping Goddess Lakshmi (the goddess
of wealth), Goddess Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge) and Goddess Durga or
Shakti, the goddess of power.

On the first day,
families set up stands with steps and arrange small dolls of deities and saints
as well tableaus depicting events of life such as marriage. This arrangement,
called as Bommai Kolu, is decorated with flowers and lamps and provides
children and women with an opportunity to give free rein to their creative
instincts.

Every evening, a
dish made from different varieties of chickpeas called “choondal” is prepared
and offered to the dolls before being distributed to all family members. You
can visit a few local homes during this time, as the sight of dolls arranged
beautifully can be one to behold.

Why You Should Visit Mysore

The city of Mysore in Karnataka is famous for its
Dussehra celebrations, and the festivities include the bright illumination of
the Mysore palace and cultural activities that culminate in a procession of majestically decked elephants through the streets of the city, which is festively decorated for the
occasion of Vijayadashami. Goddess Chamundeshwari, the main deity is placed on a golden throne and is taken out for procession.

Along with the grandeur and celebrations on the illuminated streets of Mysore, is the "Bombe Habba" - Doll Festival which is colorful display of dolls made of clay, depicting characters from epic tales, on display in every household.

Tourists throng to the city during this time mainly
to witness the festivities here, so book your Mysore tour packages in advance.

The Rituals along the East and West

West Bengal and Orissa in the eastern part of
India celebrate the ten days of Dussehra as Durga Puja with the ritualistic
worship of an idol of Goddess Durga and Kali. On the tenth day, this idol is taken in a
huge procession with devotees singing devotional songs in her glory, and it is
finally immersed in a flowing river. This is sometimes followed by a burning of
the effigies of the demon king Ravana in an event called Ravana Podi.

In the western state of Gujarat, people stay up
for a major portion of the night on all the nine days of Navaratri, performing
a dance called the Garba to worship the Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. This tradition is one of the prime attractions of the city and one can try their hands at this, in most part of the country, during this time.

In all western and southern states of India,
people worship their tools of trade, vehicles as well as the apparatus that they
use to perform household tasks on the ninth day of Dussehra, called as Ayudha
Pooja. They decorate these items with flowers, offer ritualistic worship and
distribute sweets and exchange leaves of the Aapta tree as a symbol of good
will.

Even for a local tourist, traveling during
Dussehra can be an exciting experience because of the sheer cultural
differences across the country. All the country is soaked in religious fervor and magnificent display of deities and celebrations